


Obeying Unwanted Orders

by sheankelor



Series: The Billow Effect [10]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24278509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheankelor/pseuds/sheankelor
Summary: Potter Year 6 - Severus doesn't really want to have two masters right now.
Series: The Billow Effect [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/151457
Comments: 9
Kudos: 54





	Obeying Unwanted Orders

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Yen for betaing this. 
> 
> I know it's been a long time coming - I refuse to look at the number of years - and the only excuse I have is that it had not wished to be written. Every time I would go to type this tale, it wouldn't flow. So, I ask that you bare with the choppiness, the skimpiness, the lack of finesse of this one. I'm going to try to just plug out the last one but I pretty much guarantee it is going to be like this one. Sorry.

_ Obeying Unwanted Orders _

Severus stared at Nilly as the house-elf paced around his kitchen muttering under her breath.

“Why are you here?” he asked tiredly. It had been a long day. He’d been summoned to Albus’ side right after he left the Dark Lord’s. Both of them needed potions to help maintain their lives. The Dark Lord’s was one he’d been making since the man … thing had been resurrected as Wormtail’s potions skills were not of note. That made it easier – he just arrived with it brewed and then determined how much was needed and if it could be tweaked to make the immediate effects easier on the Dark Lord.

Albus, on the other hand, _‘Hand – his hand is never going to be the same.’_ needed him to make an entirely new potion from scratch and in a hurry. _‘I slowed the spread of the curse for now, at least.’_ He’d spent the entire afternoon – skipping lunch and dinner – in his lab brewing different versions of salves and potions in hopes to stop the curse inflicting Albus.

Nilly had appeared when he came back upstairs.

He repeated his question to her.

She came out of his kitchen and into the small dining area shaking her head. “Nothing here is fit to eat, Severus. Nilly will go back to Hogwarts to get you dinner.”

“I..”

She popped away before he could finish refusing.

Less than a minute later she was back this time with Coriander, placing hovering dishes onto his table.

“Severus needs to eat,” Nilly waved him towards the table.

Severus gave in as Coriander frowned at him. The smell coming from the covered plate made his mouth water. He lifted the dome off the other tray wondering what it was and found tea ready to be served.

As he started in on the Toad-in-the-Hole on the other plate, both elves went back into his kitchen.

Moments later, Nilly drifted out of the room as Coriander marched over to the table, “Coriander will be bringing Severus food from now on. Nothing in there is ...” She trailed off but her dissatisfaction was evident through her expression and the height of her ears.

Severus drank his tea before leaning back in his chair, “It’s fine. I don’t eat much during the summer and quick fix things are easy.”

The elf frowned, “Then Severus will accept Coriander’s help. It will be much quicker if Coriander brings it to you.”

Nilly walked back into the dining area, “And we will clean the house. Severus can’t stay like this.”

Severus shook his head, “You are Hogwarts’ elves, not mine.”

They both frowned, and Nilly answered, “It’s summer and we need something to do. You are busy, so we will help.”

Coriander nodded, “Coriander will bring you breakfast in the morning. We will be appearing in the kitchen as we can’t come through the front door.”

With that, they left. Severus looked at the teapot and his half-eaten meal and sighed. Tomorrow he’d talk to Gritz after he checked on Albus.

Picking up his fork, a small smile curled his lips as he dug back into his dinner.

§§§§§§

  
“Severus’ two masters are being demanding, so we are going to help,” Gritz said as all the elves in the kitchen nodded, their ears high and expressions emphatic.

“Help?” Severus asked.

Gritz nodded, “Help. We shall be bringing meals to you and cleaning your place. Nilly said it needs a good once over at the very least.”

Severus shook his head, “Nothing much has changed, I-”

“You are doing more for the Headmaster, and your other master is being more demanding as well.”

Severus frowned, “How did you know?”

Gritz just smiled.

Coriander spoke up, “Coriander will be bringing you your meals each day. It’ll be the kitchen's meals.”

Nilly and Bell chimed in, “And we will be cleaning for you. You have potions to make.”

Knowing when to give up, Severus agreed.

§§§§§§

“Just because you have a guest doesn’t mean we will stop, Severus,” Coriander said as she tidied part of the lab he wasn’t working in.

“Wormtail reports directly to the Dark Lord,” Severus spoke sharply, “he is not my guest.”

“We’ll make sure he doesn’t know we are here,” Nilly said softly but firmly.

§§§§§§

“You want me to be the Defence Against Dark Art’s Professor?”, Severus asked, disbelief coating his words.

Albus nodded, “It’s the only way. Slughorn has to return, he has information we need, and your oath puts you into a position that is already untenable.”

“It’s cursed,” Severus searched his face, hoping to see a flash of humour. There was none.

“Yes, it is, but that isn’t a death sentence, Severus,” Albus cast him a sympathetic look. “It will get you out of the school and into a better position within Voldemort’s circle.”

Severus closed his eyes, blocking out the sympathy. “Very well – I hope it works out as you hope.”

He barely heard Albus whisper, “So do I.”

§§§§§§

  
Severus barely stopped himself from glaring at Slughorn. The man hadn’t handled glares well when Severus was a student and still didn’t. Instead, he watched as Minerva expertly nudged a tray of sweetmeats closer to Slughorn’s elbow.

“So, the poison, do you know what type it was?” she asked.

Slughorn nibbled on a sweetmeat, “I haven’t tested it. Potter used a bezoar to help Weasley.”

Severus barely prevented his eyebrow from rising. Sure, the bezoar was good for immediate help but dependent on the poison type, there might be some fine-tuning needed to completely heal the person. A glance showed Pomona was secretly taking notes, and Severus made a mental note to compare with her later. Standing, he left the staffroom.

The moment he was outside of the door, he called for Rung and asked him to get a sample of the poisoned mead from Slughorn’s office and meet him in his lab.

Dits met him at his lab’s door. “Severus, Madam Pomfrey needs your help with Ronald Weasley.”

Rung appeared as he opened the door and he ushered them both in. He thanked Rung as the elf placed a flask on his lab bench. “Dits, is it about the poison? If so, I’m about to investigate the poison now.”

She shook her head, “Dits doesn’t know. Madam Pomfrey just asked for you.”

Closing his eyes, he sighed. “Tell her I am on my way.”

He pushed the flask further from the ledge and headed to the Infirmary.

“Professor Snape,” Poppy called as he entered, her head popping out from one of the screened-off areas.

He stepped behind the screen and noticed Weasley was too pale even for him. There was a slight bluing around his lips as well. Picking up one of his hands, he noticed the nail beds were also blue-tinged. “Cyanosis?”

Poppy nodded, “It could be chemical-induced Methemoglobinemia.”

Severus raised an eyebrow and waited.

“Sorry, Severus,” she said, “It’s a condition where the cells in your body aren’t getting enough oxygen because of methemoglobin. It’s natural in everyone, but people with the condition have more. It carries and holds onto oxygen.”

“Treatment?” was all he asked. Severus knew he didn’t have time to learn about the disorder right now. Weasley was turning blue – literally.

“There are specific potions,” she handed him a list she’d already written, “but the cyanosis could also be caused by arsenic poisoning or half a dozen other things.”

“Can you test for the Methemoglobinemia?” he asked, “Or is there something specific I should test for in the poison?”

She jerked her attention back to him, “You can test the poison? I didn’t want to ask Horace. I know he’s distraught about this already.” She paused slightly, “That is why I asked for you. I wasn’t sure Horace was mentally ready to do this yet.”

Severus flashed her a slight smile, “Yes, I have it in my lab now, waiting on me.”

She made a shooing motion with her hands, “Check for nitrates, benzocaine or other topical pain killers type substances. Do you know what methylene blue is?”

“Yes, I do,” Severus waited just outside the screens.

“Do you have any in a form I can give to him as an infusion? That’s the initial treatment for Methemoglobinemia.”

I’ll put it together while I test the poison.”

“I’ll send Dits for it if the test comes out positive, and then you can get started on the rest of the treatment potions.”

He waved to her to show he heard as he left the Infirmary.

By evening, he’d determined the poison and had the appropriate antidote sent up to the Infirmary.

§§§§§§

Severus sunk into his chair near the fireplace. He’d just left Draco Malfoy in the Infirmary to finish recovering from Potter’s attack. _‘Where did Potter learn Sectumsempra?’_

Mint set a late dinner on the coffee table, “Eat up, Severus.”

He automatically started, thanking her as he lifted his fork. The only place he could think that that particular spell was written down was in one of his old books. _‘Most likely my Potions book as it’s the one I normally made notes in. But which year?’_

It was later, while he was at breakfast in the kitchen, he realised that Potter hadn’t expected to be in Potions this year – not with his OWL score. Turning to Kali, he asked, “Does Potter have a Potions book for this year?”

The elf nodded, her ears flopping with her head, “Yes, Professor Slughorn had him and his Weasley get one from one of the cupboards in the room.”

Could’ve his book ended up in that cupboard? It’s not like he kept up with his student books – his Mastery books were more important. Deciding that the teen had done so, he pondered if he wanted it returned, or if Potter finally learnt his lesson.

§§§§§§

“I don’t know if I can do it,” Severus said softly.

Fennel pressed a cup into his hands. “Severus’ Masters demand a lot of you.”

“True, but this ...”

“Severus will do as the Headmaster said,” Ebony and Lilac murmured, “because he is your Master.”

Gritz asked from across the table, “Will Severus be Headmaster next year?”

“I will try to be. It will all depend on my other Master.”

The elves nodded and continued making dinner. They periodically stopped to offer wordless support to Severus.

§§§§§§

“What are you doing here?” Severus snapped.

Fennel and Coriander smiled even as their ears drooped slightly, “We are taking care of you, Severus.”

“It’s summer!”

Both elves nodded, “It is, but we agreed that we would continue last summer’s work.”

“We?” Severus asked.

“Yes,” Coriander answered, “we – Hogwarts’ elves.”

Severus ran a hand over his face, “But, I don’t even know if I will be there next year.”

Fennel shrugged, “It doesn’t matter if you are a professor there – you are our Potions Master. So, we will help.”

“I killed Albus,” he growled.

Fennel and Coriander heard the pain hidden under the growl. Both moved and rested hands on his arms.

“Yes, you did as your Master ordered you to do,” Coriander said.

“And you will continue to do so,” Fennel added.

Severus slumped into a chair, his pain covering his face.

“And we will help you,” they both said softly, pressing close to him, offering what comfort they could.


End file.
